Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love

This poignant and beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a Palestinian family who has fled their homeland, carrying only a single suitcase. Through the eyes of the oldest child, the narrative explores the universal experience of love, loyalty, and friendship, framed by eleven distinct Arabic expressions for love. Each expression is tied to a memory or object within their suitcase, symbolizing their journey, their past, and their hopeful future. It's a gentle yet powerful way to introduce themes of immigration, displacement, and cultural identity, while emphasizing the enduring strength of family bonds. The vibrant watercolor pencil and collage illustrations add depth and emotion to this unique 'scrapbook' narrative.

A lyrical narrative of a Palestinian family in exile explores universal bonds of family, loyalty, and friendship through the lens of eleven Arabic expressions for love. A family has fled their homeland in search of safety in another country, carrying a single suitcase. As their journey unfolds, the oldest child reflects on the special contents of that suitcase: photo albums that evoke eleven of many names for love in Arabic. From sunshine-warm friendship to the love that dissolves all tears; from the love that makes you swoon to the love that leaves you yearning for the heart's homeland--her family has experienced it all. Illustrated in vibrant watercolor pencil and collage on textured card stock, this moving scrapbook shows a family embracing an unknown future even as they honor the past, casting immigration and the refugee experience in the light of universal human connection.